I want to limit the max volume of the internal iPad speaker.The volume control switch allows my kids turn the volume all the way up. I would like a password protected way to limit the max volume setting of the internal iPad speaker. Can this be done?

Sure, listening to your iPad at a reasonable volume is important. Here are two quick tips to counteract the concerns of parents or for that matter anyone who has an interest in protecting one’s hearing.

Set a Volume Limit

The first step in the process is to lower the maximum volume by tapping Settings.While you’re in Settings, you can also set an upper limit for headphone music volume in Music > Volume Limit to protect your—or a child’s—hearing. The setting doesn’t restrict non-headphone volume. (A side effect of setting a lower limit is that each press of a volume button changes it by a smaller increment.)

Next, you can prevent the youngling from upping the volume by locking the level with a passcode. Go to Settings > General > Restrictions; tap Enable Restrictions if necessary, and supply a four-digit password. Tap Volume Limit and then Don’t Allow Changes.

Set Volume Memories with Different Headphones

This is far more useful if you share your iDevice with others, but one little-known feature is that the volume levels for various headsets are stored in memory. If you plug in one set of headphones and set the volume, that level will be remembered for the next time you plug them in. The same goes for other headsets, so you don’t have to worry about someone else messing with your volume settings. Just make sure they have a different set of earbuds and you’ll be good to go. This is also helpful for auxiliary inputs in your car, which you often want at full volume.

Interface

The CineXPlayer HD v4.0 got a complete revamp. This revamp brought with it a new, colourful interface along with several tweaks that go a long way in making the app easier to use and easier on the eye. The app also connects to IMDB and downloads metadata for the videos that you have added to the app. This means that TV shows and films that you have added to the app will have a synopsis, cast listings and cover art attached to them.

TV Directory

The most important new feature of the new 4.x series is the in-built TV station directory. It’s in no way as extensive as that of, say, wwitv.com (or some local stream link directories) but, if it already does contain your favorite station(s), you may well want to use CineXPlayer for playback instead of adding them one-by-one to other generic media players like GoodPlayer.

For example, this is the German section, listing most major national TV streams:

Video Playback

Videos can be transferred over Wi-Fi from another computer, via an iTunes file transfer or from Dropbox. You can’t, of course, play files with DRM. The app supports AirPlay if you have an Apple TV, or you can output HDMI or VGA with the proper cable.

CineXPlayer HD has several defining features that separate it from the rest of the pack. One of these features is the SuperSharp feature that is presented to users when they start playback of their video. Basically, this feature sharpens your video on the go — and in some cases makes the video more legible. The SuperSharp feature aims to make your SD movies look like HD movies. It doesn’t. Instead, it just makes them look like you over-sharpened a photo in an image editor — crispy.

CineXPlayer HD is one of the few apps on the App Store to support Dolby Digital Plus for the audio of your video files. What this means is that Dolby’s trademark technology processes the audio of your video files and manages to make the audio more realistic and improves the clarity of it.

Screen Split

I especially liked a new feature, which is the ability to split the screen in portrait mode with a video running at the top and a web browser on the bottom once you turn your device into portrait.  From here, you can surf the web to your heart’s content — all whilst having your video playing back above you. This has without a doubt increased the enjoyability of watching a film on the iPad tenfold, as you tend to get annoyed having to switch between Safari and my video app constantly.

A quick look at CineXPlayer HD Features:
• MKV, XVid, MP4, H264, AC3, E-AC3, AVI, MOV, M4A,MP3, M4V
• Downloader included
• Dolby Digital Plus (Enhanced AC-3) with support of 5.1 channels
• Dolby Mobile Enabled(Awesome 5.1 Surround on Headphones)
• DLNA Streaming Support MP4,XVID, M4V (MKV streaming coming shortly)
• SuperSharp – SD->HD enhances all your standard movies to near HD
• Integrated with Facebook?Twitter to let users share thoughts and info on what they’re watching with friends and family easily.
• Webbrowser for direct download/playback/shortcut to WEB/NAS drive movies
• Music Player with Surround Sound – Plays your iTunes Library with Dolby Digital Plus
• Live TV Channels (for Free to Air Channels World Wide)
• Easy Management utilities to manage movie collections (perfect for cataloging the different episodes of TV series).
• Intuitive, simple, and highly responsive User Interface.
• Easy to use security option (requires additional in-app purchase)
• Extra options are available for on-demand purchase/upgrade.
• Playlist, easy Navigation and search, Quick forward and backward controls
• Subtitle Support (.srt) – with in-app download for .zip files
• Gesture Control e.g. Swipe +/- 60 Seconds During the Movie
• Moveable Subtitle (Touch’n’Drag) /Sizable by Pinch
• DropBox Support

Conclusion

Looking at things overall, the combination of  subtitle support, live TV and allowing me to browse the web alongside the playback of my video makes this app a sure winner for anybody hoping to make their iPad the perfect portable cinema! CineXPlayer HD is compatible with iPad running iOS 4.3 or later, and available in the App Store for $4.49.

iOS 7 Releases This Fall

While Apple may have shown off iOS 7, its new design and many of its new features at WWDC, it also delivered the all important information about its release date. Of course, because this is WWDC and not an iPhone or iPad event, we didn’t expect a specific release date and we didn’t get one.

Instead, Apple announced that it will be releasing iOS 7 sometime in the fall which means that it will be coming at some point between September and November. Fortunately, September is the earliest month in the fall and right now, it’s the rumored launch date for the iOS 7 update’s companion, the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 5S is heavily rumored for September and given that the iPhone 5 arrive in September.

iOS 7 Beta for iPad Comes Later

Apple has released the first beta of iOS 7 to registered iOS developers. But the iOS 7 beta software isn’t ready for tablet screens yet. An iPad build is nowhere to be found on Apple’s Developer site, and that means rumors of the company scrambling to get it done by June were true.

iOS 7 Leaves Some of the Device-Specific Out Of The Fun

iPad
The first-generation iPad will not be getting iOS 7 either.

iPad 2
The iPad 2, however, will be getting iOS 7 though its feature list is even bleaker than the iPhone 4′s. Apple has decided to cut a number of different features from the iPad 2 update, making it the slimmest iOS 7 update on paper.

Apple’s second-gen iPad will, out of all of the aforementioned features, only be getting the new iTunes Radio. That means no AirDrop, that means no Siri, and that means none of the photography related features.

iPad 3 & iPad 4
The iPad 3 and iPad 4, which Apple refers to as the iPad with Retina Display, will fare much better than the iPad 2. Apple claims that the iPad 3 won’t be getting AirDrop, Panorama mode, or Filters in Camera. The rest of the features will be on board.

As for the iPad 4, the only difference is that it will have access to AirDrop, something that should delight those that love to share content with friends or family.

iPad Mini
Owners of Apple’s smaller slate, the iPad mini, are in pretty good shape as well as the iOS 7 update will only be missing Panorama and the Filters in Camera. The other features, including the new Siri functions, should be available when the software arrives.

The new version 3.0 includes a discovery panel that displays more details about episodes, shows, and seasons with a tap. It lets you find out more about an unfamiliar show with a single tap, pointing you towards the first, next or latest episode to watch, according to your viewing history with that particular show. Tapping an episode to pull up information on the show as well as that particular episode, and swiping left or right to browse the various collections and seasons of the show.

Next up is the ability to minimize videos while they’re playing by tapping the minimize icon or simply just pinching, as you normally would for photos. Here’s the best part: the video will continue to play during the whole process, letting you do other things in the app as it does.

Last but not least, there are also collections of editorially-curated shows, clips, and movies. You can now also watch content inline, which is a very nice improvement, and the search function has been improved too.

The full Hulu Plus version 3.0 for iPad changelog is as follows:

• Videos can now be minimized during playback by tapping the minimize icon or using the pinch gesture. When minimized, the video continues to play while you browse through the rest of the app.
• To see what an episode, show or season is all about, just tap on its image to view the new discovery panel. Double-tapping an image lets you begin watching a show immediately.
• Hulu Plus for iPad now includes curated collections of shows, clips and movies
• Short-form content and clips can be watch inline with just a tap

Hulu Plus v3.0 is now available as a free download in the iTunes App Store. The 12.3MB download is compatible iPads and iPad minis running iOS 5.0 or later. And as with the previous versions, users need a Hulu Plus paid subscription to take advantage of the app.

Some of you may know, YouTube videos don’t play in the background of an app or tab on iPad and iPhone. There is a workaround to this in iOS 6.1 by switching tabs/apps, pressing the power button, power button again, lock screen controls, play, success. But this is lengthy. I thought someone might have made a tweak workaround, anyone heard of anything?

It’s unclear whether this is a deliberate change in iOS 6.1 or simply a bug that may be resolved in a future update, but there are fortunately a few ways around this, for now at least. The simplest solution is to look to third-party free apps such as Jasmine  or McTube , which works fine to keep playing audio in the background. Here’s how to play YouTube in the background on iPad with Jasmine. You might also like: How to download YouTube videos to your iPad or iPad mini.

STEP 1. Go to the App Store on your device and search for Jasmine. If you just search for Jasmine you might not find the right app. Install it, and then tap Open once it’s ready.

STEP 2. Tap on a video from the list of search results and you’ll see another screen where you can play the video. Tap on Play Video and it will begin to play.

STEP 3. Tap your home button to return to the home screen, and then double-tap to bring up the list of running apps. Swipe to the right to see the playback controls, and you’ll see Jasmine’s app icon. If your device is running iOS 6.0, tap on the Play button to continue listening to the audio.

STEP 4. If you’re running iOS 6.1, you’ll notice that tapping the play button in step 3 doesn’t work. This is frustrating, but you can still play audio from Jasmine. Tap the power button on your device to turn it off, then tap it again to wake it up. Now double-tap the home button to bring up the playback controls. Tap play and the audio from Jasmine will continue playing. NOTE: This trick does not work with Google’s YouTube app – audio continues playing from the native Music app.

STEP 5. Back in Jasmine, go to the main menu by pressing Back a couple of times. Tap the cog and you’ll see a host of options. Parental controls are available only in the Pro version which costs £1.49. Under appearance you’ll find a night mode and a brightness control.

Alternatively, if you’re using a jailbroken device, there’s actually a Flex tweak available that will enable background playback on the standard Google YouTube app. Since this leverages Google’s official YouTube app, it’s unlikely that the app itself would lose access to the YouTube API, and it’s otherwise considerably more difficult to block this behaviour on a jailbroken device. The downside, of course, is that you have to jailbreak your device, with all of the additional hassle that entails.

Support for Multiple Users

The iPad has rapidly become a great family device, and yet it is designed to be used by a single person. Adding support for multiple users, which could load unique profiles for each person in the household — including child-friendly features when the younger members of the family use the device — would go a long way towards improving the shared iPad experience.

A Return of YouTube

Apple’s ridiculous spat with Google is only hurting its users. The lack of a built-in YouTube application in iOS is downright ludicrous. Apple needs to bring back YouTube to the operating system and make it easy to access videos. Not to do so makes Apple look petty and would be a huge mistake.

Enhanced Security Features

All of the data surrounding the security community suggests that more malware than ever is being created to target mobile devices. So, it would be nice to see Apple boost iOS 7′s security features to keep users safer from malware threats. The more security the operating system delivers the better.

Ability to Hide Pre-Installed Apps

This goes hand-in-hand with #5, but would also be a great feature on its own. One thing Apple forces on us are all of those default apps that show up when we first power on the iPad or iPhone. And there’s no way to get rid of them. Ordinarily, this isn’t too much of a problem — you can always throw them in a folder and ignore them — but if you are trying to childproof your iPad, it would be handy if you could get rid of apps like the Camera completely. Any parent that had to clean up 76 pictures of their 2-year-old daughter’s left foot can feel my pain here.

Data sharing between apps

There’s an advantage to building a brick wall between applications: it goes a long ways toward stamping out viruses. But if iOS is going to take the next step and compete with the big boys, we need more interaction between apps. And that means sharing documents so that apps can work better together. I like the idea of authorizing one app to share data with another app, similar to how apps ask if they can access your camera roll. But the brick wall needs to come down.

Preview on iOS

When Preview support for Documents in the Cloud was announced as part of Mountain Lion, I would have bet money on Preview making its way to iOS. Good thing I didn’t, or I would be out a fiver or more. So, here’s hoping Preview shows up in iOS 7 so I can sync my PDFs. While I do use programs like PDFPen, for simple PDF reading it seems overkill. PDFPen’s strengths are the ability to edit and e-sign documents, which may be more than most people need. Most of us probably just need an easy way to sync important PDFs. In my case, very few of the PDFs I want to sync are ones I want to edit; I mainly want them for reference.

File Manager for iOS

We need a better way to manage the files on our iOS device. We essentially need something like the Camera roll for files, so that we can access files that we have received via email or files that we’ve downloaded (it is not available yet, but we’ll talk about it in a bit). The files should also be synced or available across our iOS devices via iCloud, so we can access them from all our devices. It could be a dedicated app or it could be something like Finder in OS X.

Well, that’s what we’re looking for in iOS 7 to be wanted for the iPad. What about you? What would you like to see in iOS 7.

iPad 5 Specs

From our sources, we have built-up an iPad 5 image for you. This assumptions is again based for Apple’s plan for an A7 processor and hi

• 9.7 inch Retina Display (2048 x 1536)
• Apple A7 Quad-Core Processor
• 4G LTE & WiFi
• 1 GB/2 GB RAM options
• 16 GB/32 GB/64 GB/128 GB storage options
• 5-8 MP Rear Facing Camera
• 1.3 MP Front Facing Camera
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Lightning Connector

iPad 5 Pricing

• 16 GB – 629 USD
• 32 GB – 729 USD
• 64 GB – 829 USD
• 12 8GB – 929 USD

iPad 5 Display and Design

If rumors and leaked photos are on the money, the iPad 5 will feature a smaller, thinner design and weigh less than the iPad 4. Multiple iPad 5 rumors from early January point to an iPad 5 with the same design as the iPad mini.

DigiTimes reports that suppliers are preparing the same thin-film DITO (G/F2) touch screen technology as the iPad mini users for a major third-quarter push for the iPad 5.

The new display tech is proven with the iPad mini, allowing Apple to cut deliver an iPad that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter. Apple is already rumored to bring the iPad mini case design to the iPad 5, and it looks like the screen technology will come along with it to help Apple make a thinner, lighter iPad 5.

Another important rumor we have is that Apple is pepping to cut Samsung out of the display supply chain with the upcoming iPad 5.

And MacRumors recently notes that iPad 5 will feature an Apple A7X processor, a bump up from the A6X processor in the iPad 4. While there are rumores that Apple is shifting production away from Samsung and that the Apple A7 chip will not come until 2014, Kuo claims Samsung will make the A7X chip which will arrive in an iPad this year.

Stylus and Gestures

We’ve seen a few rumors suggest that the iPad 5 will have a stylus and that it will support smart gestures like those on Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S4. The Galaxy Note line has been a big hit for Samsung and it includes the S-Pen stylus, which offers some handy functionality. We can’t find any reliable corroboration for these rumors and it seems unlikely that Apple would go in this direction with the iPad 5.

iPad 5 Camera

With the iPad 5, we could also see Apple boosting the rear facing camera to 8MP. The company introduced minor improvements since adding the camera to the iPad 2, and despite the prevalence of smartphones, many users still turn to the iPad for photos and videos.

iPad 5 Release Date

Much has been made of the fact that Tim Cook told investors (in the last earnings call) that, “Our teams are hard at work at some amazing new hardware, software, and services that we can’t wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014.”

According to the scoop comes from DigiTimes, which says Apple is eyeing Q3 to release a new 5th-generation iPad. But, unlike last year, the iPad mini might be trailing behind its big brother. The same report says the 2nd-generation iPad mini might not release until November.

The report also repeats some other patterns we’ve been hearing about for much of the year, like the iPad 5 having an iPad mini-like appearance (narrower bezels and whatnot) and a “thin-film-type touch panel solution” that will reduce its weight.

Stay Tuned

Either way, we should be hearing more on these fronts in the next few months. It’s unlikely Apple will announce any iOS devices at next week’s WWDC, but we should hear about iOS 7, the next version of Mac OS X, and some new Macs. When you’re in the middle of the longest Apple drought in recent memory, starved Apple fans will likely welcome any solid news with open arms.

Users will now see a small icon on the left-hand side of the playback controls, which, when tapped, allows users to choose between HD and SD quality when watching a trailer on the iPad or the iPhone . This allows users with lower-resolution devices to watch trailers more quickly, without having to wait for a larger video to load.

The update adds improvements to video playback, decreasing the time that it takes for a trailer to begin playing. The new version of the app also allows for movie tickets to be purchased through the Fandango app.Users must have the Fandango app installed to take advantage of the feature.

This new update of iTunes Movie Trailers provides the following improvements:

• You can now choose HD or SD quality while viewing a trailer on iPhone and iPod touch with Retina display and iPad
• Video playback has been improved—it now takes less time for a trailer to start playing
• Movie tickets can be purchased using the Fandango app
• Additional improvements to performance and stability

If you’d like to check out the latest version of iTunes Movie Trailers, you can find it in the App Store, for the both the iPad and iPhone, for free.

Here are the deals for the iPad 4

iPad 4 – 16GB WiFi (Black and White) – $419 – $80 Off
iPad 4 – 32GB WiFi (Black and White) – $499 – $100 Off
iPad 4 – 64GB WiFi (Black and White) – $579 – $120 Off
iPad 4 – 16GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $529 – $100 Off
iPad 4 – 32GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $609 – $120 Off
iPad 4 – 64GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $689 – $140 Off

The deal off the iPad mini looks like this

iPad mini – 16GB WiFi (Black and White) – $279 – $50 Off
iPad mini – 32GB WiFi (Black and White) – $359 – $70 Off
iPad mini – 64GB WiFi (Black and White) – $439 – $90 Off
iPad mini – 16GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $389 – $70 Off
iPad mini – 32GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $469 – $90 Off
iPad mini – 64GB WiFi + Cellular (Black and White – $549 – $110 Off

Are you planing to give your father or husband an iPad or iPad Mini? It’s probably one of the best gift that fathers like myself could receive on Father’s Day. These are attractive prices we may not see again until later this year. And if you check out the special Father’s Day iPad sale promotional page from Apple.com, you’ll get to another page promoting Apple’s engraving service for iPad and iPad Mini. If you’re planning to give your husband or your father an iPad on his special day, why not make it even more special by having it engraved with his name, or even your own special message for him. Sounds neat, right?

Will the iPad Play/Support AVI Video Files?

If the AVI file is compatible with the Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) encoded AVI videos (up to 1280×720, 30 fps frames rate, ulaw audio), then Yes. Apple users may find this surprising since the company’s previous mobile devices did not support AVI files. This is the first time Apple has provided support for video playback beyond MPEG-4 and QuickTime formats on iOS. PCM stereo audio is also supported in AVI files on the iPad.

However, nowadays on the market, a majority of AVI files are not encoded with Motion JPEG. And some users might not that knowledgeable about iPad video file formats. In other words, iPad supports some types of video cameras watch their AVI footage via the camera card reader accessory, it won’t let you watch downloaded AVI movies on the iPad. So how to play AVI movies downloaded from the Internet on you iPad?

Play AVI on iPad with Video Conversion Program (recommened)

We’ve set up the 3rd-party iPad Video Converters to convert any video(including AVI and HD AVI) into an MP4 file that will play perfectly on the iPad.  From the top-rated iPad video converter reviews , iSkysoft Video Converter for Mac (For Mac OS) and Wondershare Video Converter (for Windows) which provide optimized presets for your iPad so you don’t need to worry about the settings for your iPad.

1. Drag-n-drop to add AVI to Video Converter

2. Select iPad preset from format list

3. Hit convert to start AVI to iPad conversion

4. When the conversion is done, drop the new MP4 file into iTunes and sync to your iPad.

Play AVI on iPad with CineXPlayer App (without conversion)

Alternatively, you can download an iPad app that does play these files. The CineXPlayer App ($3.99) lets you play AVI and XVID movies on your iPad. It is about as simple as it could be. First, install it. Second, drag any AVI files you have into the app’s file-sharing section in iTunes, just like you do with comics, Pages documents and the like. That’s it. To play a movie, just open CineXPlayer and tap on the filename. You get Play/Pause, volume and skip-to-beginning buttons, along with a zoom button, and that’s it. The video just work and the sound is way louder than what you get in the too-quiet built-in player.  You can use that to watch your videos without needing to convert them.